Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-25
CAPITAL NEWS CATERERS.

VAI llHL NLNO UAlllLNLNO.
Some Personal Points About Corre-
spondents at Washington.
AN UNWRrrTEN CODE OF ETHICS.
How the Honor Of the Profession is
Guarded - Men Who Have
Made Their Mark on
the Row.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-[ Correspondence of
the BEE. Over one hundred accredited
newspaper correspondents and reporters
will be admitted to the reporters galleries of
the senate and house in the Fifticth congress
This is the largest number that has ever
passed the scrutiny of the press committee
who consider the applications and credentials
of correspondents. The requirements for ad-
mission to the reporters galleries have been
considerably restricted. just before the
, Fifticth congress convened there was mass
meeting of the professional writers who ap-
ply for admission to the galleries, when what
is known as the p. tss committee was selected.
This committee acts in cooperation with the
chairman of the committee on rules in the
senate and the speaker of the house Of repre-
sentatives and make up two distinct press
committees, one for either branch of con-
gress.
1t is necessary at the convening of each
| session for every man who is admitted to the
| galleries to make application for a
! card In his application the CORE
+ spondent gives the name of the paper which
! he represents, the number of times in each
week it is published, and the location of the
| publishing office. Besides this he declares
that he is not engaged in the prosecution of
any claims before congress; that he is not
interested in any pending legislation, and is
| not an cmploye of the government.
During the last congress it was discovered
that three or four men who were admitted
to the reporters galleries were interesting
themselves either in legislation pending be-
fore congress or furnishing information from
the departments and the white house for the
prosecution of claims, etc. The object in re-
| quirmg applicants for cards of admission to
| the galleries to state specifically that they
are not interested in any measure before
| congress and are not employed under the
| government, is to keep out of the space set
aside for professional writers, class of men
| who do not make "a livelihood solely by writ
| ing for the press.
The press committee at it's first meeting in
| this congress took into consideration charges
| which were filed against correspondents who
| were interested i'll pending legislation, or who
| were engaged in the claim agency business,
| and, after deberaton, rejected their appica-
| tons for admission to the galleries. The
| committee also concluded to reject the appli-
cation of at least one correspondent who was
| guilty of unprofessional acts. There is an
unWritten code of ethics among the corre-
| spondents here just as high and as strictly
| adhered to as was ever set up among doctors,
| lawyers and other professional men. This
correspondent had sent circulars to editors
| throughout the country proposing to furnish
| dispatches and letters from Wash
| ington for prices, not only far below the
| lowest being paid, but which degraded
| reputable correspondents. In fact this man
offered to do work at such rates that would
not have paid for the actual manual labor of
| a copyist, and the only manner in which he
could do this was by employing young men
| who desired to learn the newspaper business
| without compensation. He is in the habit of
| advertising for young men who desire to
| enter the profession of journalism, and re-
! spondents to his advertisements are informed
| that they can take course of instruction
under him for six months or year without
| pay. and, at the end Of that time they can
shift for themselves. His journalistic college
| bears about the same relation to the regular
| profession as the medical college of the cele
brated DR.. Buchanan did to the regular pro-
fession of medicine. Besides this, which
| would hardly constitute bar, he issued cir
| culars Offering to represent claimants in
| direct tax cases. which was decidedly against
the rules; and further, it is charged that he
| intimated very broadly to a government EN-
| ployc that he could make comfortable sum
| of money if he would aid in securing GER
| tain contracts for one of his (the correspond
| cnt's) friend.
1t is absolutely essential for the honor Of
the profession in Washington that the cores
| pOndcnts should be above suspicion in every
| respect, and for this reason the press com
| mittee is rigid in its requirements that no
man who is likely to receive or give bribe
| for any selfish purpose should have the
entree of the seats reserved for reputable
| writers.
AS body the newspaper correspondents
| of Washington take the highest rank in the
| profession in the United States. A large
| majority of them are young men sent here
from the home Office OF the papers they rep
| resent and are regularly trained journalists,
but there are a few wfD have been in News
| paper Row ever since the war.
Since the death of the we'll known Major
| Ben Perley Poore, who was the acknowl-
edged dean of the profession, and who
opened an Office in Washington long before
the agitation of the abolition OF slavery
|
ton, of the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
has been recognized as the leader. He is
chairman of the Press committee and proba-
bly, wields wider influence over the corps of
correspondents than any man in it. General
Boynton is about tifty-tive years of age; is
little below the average height; weighs
probably l35 pounds has full beard, about
one-third grey, and is slightly deaf, He is
one of the most fluent writers in the country,
and brings the aggressive qualities which
| characterized his service IN the army to his
desk on newspaper row.
Major John NJ. Carson, who represents the
Philadelphia Ledger, and enjoys confidential
relations with George w. Childs, is the
second member of the press committee. He
is about the age of General Boynton is fully
six feet in height weighs less than 15O
wears short side whiskers and has the dis
tinction of being the best writer on fnancia
matters in the corps. Like Generan Boyn
ton, he isl married man and is the proud
'Oossessor Of q son who graduated with higt
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